On October 25, leaders from throughout Rhode Island gathered at Bryant University to celebrate the grand opening of the new Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center (BELC), Bryant’s state-of-the-art, 250,000-square-foot facility designed to foster innovation and future-focused learning.

With pomp and circumstance, they marked the arrival of the new home of the university’s College of Business and honored all of those who worked to ensure that home is worthy of the next generation of inspired leaders at Bryant.

Dignitaries, including Governor Dan McKee, Senator Jack Reed, Congressman Gabe Amo, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives K. Joseph Shekarchi, Rhode Island Treasurer James Diossa, Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley, and Fidelity Investments' Adam Joffe ’93, ’95MBA joined Bryant trustees, leadership, students, faculty, and staff in the BELC’s student organizations space to commemorate this important moment.

“I am truly humbled by this and appreciative of what our community, the full Bryant community, did to achieve this together,” said Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. in his opening remarks.

As Gittell extolled the many features of the new facility — including centers that promote leadership, entrepreneurship, and design thinking; cutting-edge labs dedicated to artificial intelligence, data analytics,  and sales; spaces designed to foster innovation, and even an elevated dining experience offered by the Corey E. Levine ’80 Dining Commons — he noted that the new building was even more than the impressive sum of its parts. “More than just a structure of bricks and mortar, the BELC represents the realization of our shared vision for Bryant's future. We believe that we're building the future of higher education right here at Bryant University, and we are very excited to have you all here as part of that,” stated Gittell.

Yet even amid the celebration, D. Ellen Wilson ’79, chair of Bryant’s Board of Trustees and the namesake for the University’s Ellen Wilson Leadership Center, noted there was no time for Bryant to rest on its laurels. “As we open the doors of this outstanding facility, we're also opening new doors of opportunity. For future generations of Bryant students, the BELC reflects our shared commitment to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and academic excellence,” said Wilson.

The BELC, she suggested, embodied Bryant’s mission to lead the way on a grand scale. “We firmly believe that this building will not only transform the educational experience of students, but also positively impact the community,” Wilson stated. “Our campus transformation is a long-term investment in Bryant's legacy of excellence, and I know it will serve as a catalyst for continued growth and innovation within the state of Rhode Island and the region.”

The power of innovation
That connection between the state and its institutions of higher learning is one of Rhode Island’s signature strengths, said Governor McKee, and nowhere is that connection more evident than at Bryant University.

“This state-of-the-art center will allow Bryant to take its business education to the next level. The center will be home to not just the university’s College of Business, but countless student organizations, offices, and programs that are driving business and entrepreneurship education forward,” said McKee. “Beyond that, the center will be a hub for Rhode Island businesses to seek talent and expertise to grow their businesses.

Building, and safeguarding, the future requires foresight as well as the capacity to innovate, stated United States Senator Reed. “This is one of the really vibrant hubs in Rhode Island for the future. It will give us the skills to meet the challenges of new technology, the challenges of new supply lines, the challenges that we are imagining at the moment — and the challenges that will show us how limited our imagination is when they come to pass,” said Reed.

K. Joseph Shekarchi, speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, praised Bryant’s tradition of growth and recent ascent in national college rankings. Today’s grand opening, Shekarchi said, was the latest proof point in that proud record of excellence — and an opportunity to challenge Bryant to reach new heights. “It's a great achievement, and a testament to the board and the administration here to what you've done and what you can accomplish. And we expect even bigger and better things to come from this school and this new building,” he stated.

The power of people
Education, at its best, serves a higher purpose beyond preparing talented graduates, noted United States Congressman Amo; it’s about helping to form a new generation worthy of carrying the torch of leadership. “I was thinking about your mission statement here for the College of Business: ‘Preparing socially responsible thinkers, leaders, and innovators for successful professional careers.’ That's bold. That's dynamic. It's ambitious, but that's exactly what we need,” reflected Amo. “And Bryant is delivering.

“When I think about the students and the faculty members who will come here from all walks of life to confront the challenges of tomorrow, it makes me optimistic. We all should be,” he added. “I look forward to seeing all of the good that comes out of this facility, this brand-new space that is an investment in the people and places that make Bryant shine.”

The keys to success lie in our ability to support and empower one another, argued Adam Joffe ’93, ’95MBA, head of asset management compliance, risk and business operations at Fidelity Investments, a truism that has made the partnership between Fidelity and Bryant so fruitful. “I'm thrilled to be here representing two institutions that mean a lot to me,” said Joffe. “Our long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship spans over 25 years.”

It was that relationship that led Fidelity to gift Bryant 100 Salem Street, where the BELC now resides — just the latest expression of their strong shared bond, suggested Joffe. It is a connection that extends beyond a strategic alliance, he said; it’s about being a good friend and neighbor.

The power of transformation
Professor of Finance Kevin Maloney, a member of the BELC advisory committee that helped to plan the new building, walked guests through the ideas that define the BELC: dynamic workspaces that furthered teaching and learning, a focus on faculty-student mentorship, and a commitment to ensuring that every single student has what they needed to thrive. He also shared some of the ambition — and vision — that drove the building’s inception, creation, and animating spirit.

“I came to Bryant because Bryant transformed the life of my son, Eric, who graduated from Bryant in 2016,” reflected Maloney. “I had left the business world, and I was looking to land in an academic institution — and when I saw what Bryant did for Eric, this is where I wanted to be.”

The event concluded with Vincent Emery ’26, president of Bryant University Student Government and co-founder, COO and CTO of the Lil’ Rhody Coffee Company, offering a student’s perspective of the new building. “I chose Bryant for a very particular reason: the incredible faculty and student integration that you can really only find here, and which is particularly present at the BELC,” he noted, praising the facility’s ability to serve as a living hub connecting a driven yet collegial community. “If you walk through the hallways here at the BELC, you will find something that is pretty profound.”

With that rousing note ringing in their ears, the day’s guests, some of Rhode Island’s best and brightest, set off on tours of the BELC, accompanied by a partnership of student guides and members of the Bryant administration. They were eager to see the new space for themselves — and to get a first-hand look at where the future will be built.